Explore the Parsyan Cancer Research Lab

Dr. Armen Parsyan is a breast surgical oncologist, general surgeon, clinician-scientist and assistant professor. He practices breast surgical oncology and leads the translational breast cancer research laboratory.

Research is focused on understanding cancer progression, treatment resistance, novel drugs, radiotherapy responses and discovering novel biomarkers to improve patient outcomes in breast cancer and its most aggressive triple-negative subtype.

Our team is dedicated to improving breast cancer care by bridging clinical and basic science research. It includes a diverse group of clinical residents, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students across multiple disciplines.

We are part of the Breast Cancer Canada Translational Research Unit, located in the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre. The BCCTRU has led the way in translational research and in training future researchers.

We utilize various in vitro and in vivo breast cancer models, including patient-derived culture systems, such as organoids, to test responses to novel drugs, radiotherapy and their combinations.

We utilize cutting-edge technologies, such as Spatial Omics, to understand breast cancer progression, immune system role and responses, as well as mechanisms of chemo and radiotherapy resistance.